The present invention relates to modular connectors and, more particularly, to modular connectors having detachable line status indicators.
Modular connectors such as receptacle jack (RJ) connectors and universal serial bus (USB) connectors are well known, especially for telecommunications and data networking equipment wherein it is necessary to provide a releasable coupling of one device to another.
Modular receptacle jacks are frequently used for the interconnection of computing devices to a telephone system, as they provide a compact, cost effective, and user friendly interface. The modular jacks releasably connect four and in some cases six or more discrete lines or circuits from one device to another via a complementary plug. Single or multiple (gang) jacks are made that couple single or multiple lines to single or multiple line devices.
In some applications, it is desirable to monitor or inform a user of the electrical activity on one or more of the connector""s circuits. Such activity could be the use of the line or a trouble indication, for example. This can be accomplished by mounting an indicator light, such as a light emitting diode (LED), close to or adjacent to the connector and electrically coupling the light to the circuit. An LED located separate from the connector, however, inherently results in inefficient use of production labor to install the separate devices, and undesirably increases the necessary circuit space. For these reasons, modular connectors having integrated status indicators have previously been developed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,317, entitled xe2x80x9cConnector With Visual Indicator,xe2x80x9d issued in the name of Pocrass, discloses a connector adapted to receive a mating plug therein that has a visual indicator positioned within the front wall and, thus, formed integrally with the housing to provide a visual verification of the status of the electrical connection. As the visual indicator is formed integrally with the housing, however, it is not possible to change the indicator light should it need replacing.
This problem has been addressed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,379,606 and 4,397,513, both entitled xe2x80x9cCartridge Holder and Connector System,xe2x80x9d issued in the names of Clark et al. The Clark patents disclose a cartridge holder that is adaptable to receive different cartridge configurations through a removable front plate keyed to the specific cartridge configuration. The front plate is detachably secured to the housing so that by replacing the front plate, the housing is adapted to receive different cartridge configurations. Although the front plate includes apertures to view the LEDs, the LEDs are retained in proper position by the cartridge housing. The cartridge housing in turn, is then secured to the circuit board. Thus, the Clark patents disclose devices that require removing the holder or housing from the printed circuit or mounting board in order to change or replace the LEDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,767, entitled xe2x80x9cIndicator Light Modular Jack,xe2x80x9d issued May 31, 1996 in the name of Schell, discloses a multiple modular jack with a readily removable front panel and removable indicator lights. Although the connector of Schell has been an improvement over prior connectors, the devices disclosed therein nevertheless require the removal of the front panel to access the LEDs.
In view of the above, it is thus an object of the present invention to provide a modular connector of a type commonly used in telecommunications and data networking equipment, such as an RJ connector or a USB connector, with a detachable status indicator, such as an LED, that indicates a status of the connection, such as electrical activity on one or more of the connector""s circuits.
A modular connector according to the present invention includes a housing and a status indicator that is detachably connected thereto. The housing defines a cavity, and has a front face with an opening for receiving a complementary plug. A plurality of electrical terminals are disposed within the cavity, and are adapted to make electrical contact with complementary electrical terminals of the plug upon insertion of the plug into the cavity.
The status indicator includes one or more status displays, such as light emitting diodes, for example. The status displays indicate a status of the connection between the plug and the connector, and can be coupled to a status controller by respective pairs of electrically conductive leads. The leads can be generally straight leads or springs leads, for example, and can include optional lead stabilization portions. The leads can have mounting portions that are adapted for surface mounting or for through mounting. Thus, the connector can be adapted to be mounted to a substrate on which the status controller resides.
The status controller continually senses the status of the connection between the connector and the plug, and provides electrical signals representative of the connection status to the status displays via the connecting leads. The electrical signals from the status controller cause the status displays to provide an indication of the status of the connection between the connector and the plug.